Feeding device for woodworking machinery.



No. 833,858. PATBNTED 001*. 23,1906.

- J. R. THOMAS. FEEDING DEVICE FOR woonwonxme MAGHINEBsY.

' APPLIOATIOH rum) R12. 1906 WNW-125595 ri e "(I "on"; rlrnu'cm, WAIIHIIOTON. D, c.

PATENTED OCT. 23, 1906.

. .J; R. THOMAS. FEEDING DEVICE FOR YVOOD WORK'I'NG MACHINERY.

APPLICATION r1Lnn'APB.-2.'19oe.

2 SHEETSfBHHET 2-.

- 1 rut NORRIS Iin'Rs co., vusnmcrcn, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT FIOE.

JOHN R. THOMAS, OF INOINNATI, OHIO, Assie OR TO .T. A. FAY &

I EGAN COMPANY, OF

1WEST VIRGINIA.

CINCINNATI, FOHIO, A CORPORATION OF ".FEEDINGDEVICE F R WOODWORKIN -MA HINER I nofissasss. v

To all whom it-may concern:

Beit known that '1, JOHN R. THOMAS, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton' and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Feeding Devices for Woodworking Machinery, of which the following is a specification. I I

I Itisthe object of my invention to'provide 1 o a new and improved feeding device for woodthevarious degrees ofyield and causing the" application of the pressure to be continuous irrespective of any yield to any inequality in. the. stock. I accomplish these objects by working I'machinery having great feeding power and which is very sensitive in its yield t o-in'equalities in the stock, while exerting .great pressure upon the stock throughout mounting the upper feed-rolls in housings which s'wingfrom' a common center mounted on a supplemental frame having lon sides projected above and below the ta le or platen ofthe machine and slidabl'e in long slideways orifthemachiiiethe' said supple- 2 5 mental frame having a cross-girth connecting the top ofits sides; in providing springs which are diagonally disposed between the cross-girth and the outer ends of "the rollhousingsfor magnifying the motion which v said housings have at the rotary axes ofthe feed rolls and transmitting such magnified motion from the outer ends of said'housings to said springs, which-springs are so correlated with'the housings and cross-girth that 3 5 upon yield of the rolls the springs are instantly compressed in providing a pivoted housing backed by a spring whose longitudi vrial axis intersects the vertical plane of the pivot "of said housing outside a circle having a radius equal to the distance from said the'drawing s, in which latter pivot to the point at which said'longitudinal axis meets said housing; and'the invention 'willbe further readily understood from the following description and claims and from Figure 1 is a side elevation of my im proved device. Fig. 2 is'a'central vertical sectionofthe' same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, partly. broken away; and Fig. 4 is a diagram view illustrating the movement of my improved device.

. 1 represents the frame of a machine, which maybe a woodworking-machine of any de- -Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Apri12,]1906. Serial No- 309,362-

Patented. ocaies, 19cc;

molding-machine, or other desirable machine for'the'purpose intendedand descrip. tion of which is not here necessary. This frame comprises sides 2 ,respectively having long ways 3, extending considerably below the stock-sirpportingtable '4 or platen ofthe machine sired kindsuc'h as a planing-'machine, a

; 5 6 are a pair of. lower feed-rolls, drivenin suitable manner, as from a-shaft 7, having a in said supplemental frame and carries bevelgears 20 21, meshing with the bevel-gears 22 on the upper ends of the screw=-rods15, a handle 23' being provided for operating the crossshaft. Each of said screw-rods screws into an internally-threaded lug 24 of the respective sides of the main frame, the manipulation of the screw-rods causing the supplemental frame to raise 'or lower, depending on the direction in which saidrcross-shaft is turned. i 2526- are roll-housings, respectively having bearings 27 28, having coincident axes.

These bearings are mounted about a station- V ary shaft 29, thereby being provided with a common axis ofswing. A Upper feed-rolls 30 31 are res ectively mounted on shafts 32 33, respectivey mounted-in bearings 34 35 in said respective roll-housings 25 26.. For driving said upper feed-rolls I have shown them provided at their respective ends with gears'36 37, with intermediate gears 38,

The axle of the lower feed-roll 6is provided 'at each end thereof meshing with s'a'id gears 36 37 and rotated about said shaft 29.

with a gear 39, meshing with a gear 40,

mounted on a shaft 41, journaled inthe hubs 42 of swinging arms "43,- which hubs are mounted in bearings 44' in the respective sides of the frame. A shaft 45 is mounted in bearings 46 in the upper endsof said'swinging arms and carries at each end thereof a gear 47, res ectively meshing with the gears and wit the gears 37 at the respective ends of feed-roll 31, a link 48 at each end of said shaft taking about said bearings 46 and studs 49 of bearings 35 of the feed-roll shaft 33 for maintaining mesh between said gears 47 and 37. This construction drives the feed-rolls in the directions indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 2, the feeding-in sides of the upper feed-rolls being driven down. The expansion-links are shown projected toward the front or feeding-in side of the roll mounted in the housing with which the expansion-link mechanism connects, the ivot of said housing bein at the rear or feed-out side of the said rol The cross-girth 13 is provided with ears 50, and the respective upper feed-roll housings with ears 51 52. The ears 51 52 are at the outer ends of said feed-roll housings, and the ears preferably project diagonally-"L. 6., upwardly and outwardlyfrom the crossgirth. Rods 53 54 are articulated with said housing on bolts 55 56 and take through openings 57 58 in said ears 50. Springs 59 60 take about said rods for exerting pressure upon said housings. They take into pockets 61 62 in the ears 50 and into pockets 63 64 in washers 65 66, taking about said rods and backed by nuts 67 68 for adjusting the position of said washers, and thereby regulating the tension of said springs. The housings normally rest on lugs 69 70 on the sides of the supplemental frame; but, if desired, the downward limit of movement of the upper feed-rolls may be adjusted by threading the upper ends of the rods and providing nuts 71 72 and jam-nuts 73 74 therefor.

For illustrating the operation of my improved device I have shown the diagram view of Fig. 4. In this view at denotes the center of swing of both the roll-housings, and the dotted'arcs (1 indicate the arcs in which the rotary axesof the upper feed-rolls swing. The dotted arcs 5 indicate the arcs in which the outer ends of the upper feed-roll housings swing at the points where the rods 53 54 are articulated to the same. It will be noted that the radii c of these latter arcs are longer than the radii d of the arcs a, and therefore that pressure applied at e, where the rods meet the housings, need be less than the resistance applied at fthe location of the rotary axes of the upper feed-rollsfor overcoming that resistance. The dotted lines 9 represent the normal direction of projection of the rods 53 54, and consequently the longitudinal axes or directions of pressure of the springs 59 60. The outer ends of said housings are subjected to slight motion, as the maximum yield of said up er feed-rolls 'in machines of the character described for which this device is particularly applicable is very slight, the range of such movement in practice being about two inches, representing a movement in the arcs at the outer ends of the roll-housings of approximately ten degrees, the usual range of yield, however, being only three-eighths to one-half inch, or about three degrees. The springs extend longitudinally away from the circle of swing of the housings.

The longitudinal axis of the spring is substantially tangent to the circle of swing of the outer end. of the housing, the said longitudinal axis being normally at substantially right angles to the radius of the arc of swing of said housing at its connection with the rod. The longitudinal axis of said spring intersects the vertical plane h of the pivotal axis of the housing outside the circle of said are, as see the point i, the longitudinal axes of both springs intersecting said vertical plane preferably at the same point. It will therefore be noted that any yield of the upper feed-rolls is immediately multiplied at the outer ends of the housings and resisted by the direct pressure of the springs exerted longitudinally of those springs without motion being lost between the beginning of the yield and the application of resistance to that yield. As the roll-housings yield the rods 53 54 have movement longitudinally in the openings 57 58. The feed-rolls yield in coincident or concentric circles. My improved construction enables effective pressure to be brought to bear upon thick stock when the cutter-heads of the machine are taking a heavy cut for effectively feeding the stock and also permits thin stock from which a light out is being taken to be efiectively fed without crushing the stock, the construction permitting the feeding device to be accommodated to all conditions.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a feeding mechanism for planingmachines, the combination with the main frame, of a supplemental frame adjustable thereon, feed-roll housings having coincident pivotal axes on said supplemental frame, said supplemental frame having a cross-girth, pressure-springs extending diagonally between said cross-girth and the outer ends of said respective housings, the longitudinal axes of said springs intersecting each other outside the arcs having the pivotal axes of said housings as their centers and described through the points at which said longitudinal axes intersect said housings.

2. In a feeding mechanism for planingmacliines, the combination, with the main frame, of a feed-roll slide therefor, a feed-roll housing pivoted to said slide, and a spring between said housing and slide, the longitudinal axis of which spring intersects the vertical plane of the pivotal axis of the housing outside a circle having said pivotal axis as its IIS and said housing. 7

3. The combination,

" center and intersecting the point of intersection of said longitudinal'axis of said spring in a feeding. device for woodworking machinery, with a pivoted feed-roll housing, of a spring-pressure means backing said housing whose longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to the radius of the arc of swing of said housing intersecting the point of attachment of said springpressure means to said housing.

- 4. The combination, in a feeding device for woodworking machinery, with a pivoted feed-roll housing, of a spring backing said housing whose longitudinal axis is normally substantially tangential to the arc of swing of said housing whose radius intersects the point of pressureapplication of said spring to said housing.

5. The combination, in a feeding device for woodworkingmachinery, with feed-roll housings having coincident pivotal axes, of springs backing said housings Whose longitudinal axes are normally substantially tangential to the respective arcs ofswing of said housings, whose radii intersect the respective points of pressure application of said springs to said housings respectively, said longitudinal axes intersecting the vertical plane of the pivotal axes of said housings.

6. The combination, in a feeding device for woodworking machinery, with feedroll housings having coincident pivotal axes, of springs backing said housings whose longitudinal axes are normally substantially tangential to the respective arcs of swing of said.

housings, said longitudinal axes intersecting the vertical plane of the pivotal axes of said housings and each other.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name hereto in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN R. THOMAS.

Witnesses: WILLIAM B. GRIEsE, GARLAND BROWN. 

